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Yep, I tend to assume a disgruntled individual as the main threat, but the stupidity of some politicians should never be underestimated.
Post 9/11 with the Anthrax scares, many docs and related field specialists along with gov't had meetings, planning for future bioweapon and pandemic detection, countering and defense. Due to lack of urgency the whole deal gradually fell by the wayside as all hands lost interest.
Enough with analogies !- viruses are viruses, and they are as deadly as they evolve to be, and increasingly more importantly, as potentially deadly as they can potentially be enhanced to .... that's the bottom line.
Initially I couldn't figure out where you were heading, but I certainly hear your warning. It would take a whole lot of highly technical knowledge, training and facility to do such a thing. But certainly not impossible. As a national security issue it may already be that our spooks are cognizant of what personnel and equipment is needed to carry out such a thing.
Then there would be all those variables related to where and when the bug is released. And of course how deadly, and if the perps even care to survive.
As part of future pandemic planning, as happened during my involvement in the aughts with Anthrax, I have no doubts that your exact scenario will be part of those discussions.
In fact this would be #3, as many of us started down this line in the mid-80's after the Bhopal disaster. Turned out the one of two methyl isocyanate production plants was close enough to our town, and for unknown reasons was closed down within a few years.
With 7 billion people in the world there is no forced vaccination mandate on policy that can get to everyone nor is there ever a vaccine that would be available that widely that quickly. We have new variants popping up every 3-6 months from mutations and it would take years to get the world blanketed.
That is really the big problem. I read the latest numbers show 14% vaccinated world wide. And probably most with inferior vaccines like the Chinese ones. Although I do believe the anti vaxx folks deserve blame for our current increasing case numbers in America the reality is even if they were all in line and vaccinated with 6 billion unvaccinated people out there around the world this pandemic is just getting started.
Enough with analogies !- viruses are viruses, and they are as deadly as they evolve to be, and increasingly more importantly, as potentially deadly as they can potentially be enhanced to .... that's the bottom line.
If such a thing were to happen, our saving grace most likely would be in the mRNA vaccine technology. Countries having this technology and being able to produce huge amounts of vaccine very quickly would most likely be the survivors. And of course all this will be part of future pandemic planning. Vaccines with the new technology can be invented very quickly. And if emergent enough could conceivably go into production, distribution and administration more quickly.
"Public health is not commonly understood as a security issue, but it should be. Pandemic disease can destabilize regions, undermine economies, and create fertile territory for social and political unrest...We need to break the cycle in which our own public health system is beholden to emergency appropriations for specific epidemics... lacking the long-term budget certainty we need to shore up our defense for long term, accelerate development of vaccines..... bolster America's public health infrastructure to deal with the new challenges facing our communities and our families, including a new Public Health Rapid Response Fund to better respond to public health emergencies.....Hillary Clinton July 2016.
"That is why as President, I will create a Public Health Rapid Response Fund, with consistent, year-to-year budgets, to better enable the CDC, HHS, FEMA, state and local public health departments, hospital systems, and other federal agencies to quickly and aggressively respond to major public health crises and pandemics. I will also ensure that our government has strong leadership and is organized to better support and work with people on the ground facing public health challenges. Doctors and public health officials......Hilary Clinton August 24, 2016.
"....in addition we need to do more to boost our preparedness for biological threats and bioweapons; to support research for new diagnostic tests, therapeutic treatments, and vaccines for emerging diseases; to build capacity in public health departments; to train the next cadre of public health professionals and ensure that public health and environmental health practices are standard to the educations of medical students; and to provide resources for states and local governments to plan for complex, multi-faceted public health threats, like the impacts of climate change and pandemics and build more resilient communities."....Hillary Clinton October 2016
That is really the big problem. I read the latest numbers show 14% vaccinated world wide. And probably most with inferior vaccines like the Chinese ones. Although I do believe the anti vaxx folks deserve blame for our current increasing case numbers in America the reality is even if they were all in line and vaccinated with 6 billion unvaccinated people out there around the world this pandemic is just getting started.
My opinion is that we can essentially beat the Pandemic in the USA if we follow the medical recommendations. But that includes my opinion that the Pandemic endpoint will have to be similar to Influenza, not Polio or Small pox. Meaning chronic relatively low grade infection, hospitalization and death numbers, in the general ballpark numbers of more typical Influenza seasons. But most likely at least annual boosters possibly forever.
Vaccines have saved millions of lives and wiped out deadly diseases.
In the case of Small Pox, yes.
Polio too, but some of the Polio vaccines had their own issues because they were contaminated with the SV-40 virus during production, which may have led to millions of cases of cancer in those who were vaccinated (SV-40 is known to cause cancer in mammals).
But in most cases the dramatic reduction of illnesses and other diseases in industrialized nations is mainly due to the advent of widespread use of indoor plumbing, water treatment facilities, and better sanitary habits such as washing hands with soap, showering regularly, getting rid of pests like rats/mice, etc.
Vaccines played a relatively small role, their efficacy is often exaggerated, imho.
In some cases, such as with Tetanus, vaccines are nothing but a cash grab by pharma companies.
There were only a few hundred documented cases of Tetanus infections in the U.S. every year before the Tetanus vaccines were introduced. Hardly a serious health threat. Also, hundreds of millions of people around the world are exposed to Tetanus bacterium every single year and have no symptoms, their immune system naturally fights it off. Why do we need a Tetanus vaccine?
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